


The Confession

by vanilla107



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/M, This was for a zine, and my pairing was bow and adora, and this was the prompt given to me by the mods, before s5 aired, i do not ship bow and adora personally, i wrote this in 2019, this is all really cute fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24355987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanilla107/pseuds/vanilla107
Summary: Bow sets up a picnic for Adora, hoping that he'll be able to confess his feelings for the warrior princess.When their conversation leads to Adora trying to act stronger than she is, Bow realises that she needs him more as a friend than ever and decides to act like a friend for her sake.But when Adora picks up on his behaviour, she's eager for him to take his own advice and allow himself to tell her how he's truly feeling.
Relationships: Adora/Bow (She-Ra)
Kudos: 27
Collections: Adorabowl Zine





	The Confession

“Surprise!” Bow announced as he lifted his hands from Adora’s eyes and she laid her eyes on the sight before her.

The red-and-white gingham picnic blanket was covered with plates of food: strawberry sponge cake, mini sandwiches, fruit salad, crackers and dip, a few chicken kebabs, and a flask of juice. Adora’s eyes widened in happiness as she turned to face him.

“Bow- I…I don’t know where to begin…this looks amazing!”

He smiled and celebrated in his head. He knew how much the warrior princess liked food and, according to her, they only had ration bars back at the Horde. He’d been planning this picnic for weeks and from the way things looked, it was going to be perfect. Not a single alarm for help in sight. The afternoon, bright and sunny, with a slightest breeze. He was going to tell Adora that he liked her and all he had to do be himself, despite feeling all the butterflies screaming in his stomach.

“You don’t have to say anything, Adora. Let’s eat!” he said as he took a seat on the blanket, patted a seat next to him and picked up a kebab.He took a bite, hoping it would calm down his nerves. 

She joined him and the two began to eat, Bow recommending certain things and Adora nodding enthusiastically. Their conversations about the Princess Alliance, his new technology and her new powers as She-ra flowed effortlessly and he felt the tension ease from his body.

“Thanks, Bow…this is really nice. It’s been a while since we could just relax,” Adora said as she bit into a mini sandwich.

“Yeah, with the Horde’s constant attacks on surrounding villages, we haven’t been able to take a break. Glimmer’s been so caught up with being commander that she decided to attend a workshop on armour-making with Frosta today. I didn’t even know that was a thing!” he exclaimed as he popped a cherry tomato into his mouth.

“I’m happy she’s taking her role so seriously. Angella must be proud,” Adora said with a smile. 

“Yeah. She’ll be a great queen one day. Oh, try the fruit salad!”

They ate in silence after that, watching the fluffy clouds drift across the sky and listening to the sounds of a gentle melody playing from a nearby village. 

“Hey, Bow? Can I ask you something?”

“You know you can,” he replied.

“Okay so...if Glimmer had to turn evil...what would you do? And by this I mean, it seems like there’s no way of her ever being her normal princess self again.”

He tensed up and tried to not let her question make him worry. 

_ She’s thinking about the Horde. Relax, Bow. It’s okay. _

“Um...that’s an interesting question. I’d probably try to reason with her. Get her to remember the good times we had at Brightmoon and see that it’s not all bad.”

“But what if that doesn’t work? What if she blames you for everything she’s doing? Like you’re the reason everything’s bad?”

_ Glimmer blaming me for all her bad actions? _

“I know that Glimmer didn’t really have friends before me and she was lonely, but she can’t blame her own actions on me. I’ve never tried to hurt her on purpose, and if I did, I would want her to tell me and then we’d be able to talk about it.” 

“And if she doesn’t listen to you?”

“Then...I’d have to fight back. It would hurt but if she isn’t willing to see my side then...we’d have to fight.”

Bow turned his head to look at the blonde, her mind seemingly a million miles away from the current situation. Her hands were gripping the picnic blanket so hard that her knuckles were turning white.

“Adora...does this have to do with Catra?” he whispered and at the mention of the feline’s name, she looked at him guiltily.

“Yes...I just...I wish it was easy to fight her but it’s not. It feels like my feelings of happiness and the memories we had as kids growing up in the Horde with her clash with my moral values. And no matter how much I reason with her, she refuses to listen. I don’t get why she’s so determined to destroy everything when I used to be part of that world with her,” she murmured, her eyes vision blurring with tears.

The archer was quiet, absorbing everything the blonde was saying. Adora hardly opened up about Catra, and when she did, it was usually out of desperation or anger. But now she seemed melancholy, almost wishing that their lives didn’t revolve around saving Etheria over and over again. 

“I...I’m sorry, Bow…I didn’t mean to dampen the mood,” she said apologetically, turning to face him.

“It’s okay, Adora. I feel like the more you talk about the Horde, the easier it is for you to process what they were doing. You did grow up there after all.”

“Yeah. They were my family, you know? And my loyalty to them was almost unbreakable. Until I saw what they were doing to villages like Thaymor…”

Bow looked at the princess sadly. “Hey, you know deep down even though they were your family, they were hurting people. That’s why you turned your back on them in the first place.”

“I…I know but…” she struggled for words.

“It just feels like…what if they somehow manipulate me into turning on you guys? Shadow Weaver is all about manipulation, and Catra…” Adora swallowed uneasily and she laid her head on her knees, “She knows everything about me. My strengths, my weaknesses. I know that I put on this tough girl act before battle, but I’m a nervous wreck inside because I’m facing people who…who grew up with me.”

Bow put a hand on her back, “Adora…you’ve been holding this in, haven’t you?”

“I can’t just drop how I’m feeling on you and Glimmer whenever I feel like it! I need to be strong and dependable and it’s a sign of weakness to show emotion-”

“Adora that’s not true!” he argued. His voice was gentle but firm. 

“But…but it is. How am I supposed to fight if I feel weak?” she whispered. 

All at once he saw how scared she was.

_ She’s a warrior princess who suddenly has to carry the responsibility of saving Etheria. Of course she’s scared. _

“You go on fighting no matter what. You fight even though you’re terrified and want to give up. You fight with all your heart because that’s what drives you. Your passion and your love for helping people,” he said encouragingly. 

The blonde looked up at him slowly, wiping her teary eyes.

“Adora…you’re one of the coolest girls I know. You’re strong, intelligent, and you give everyone hope. I know that you feel a lot of pressure but you’re doing great. You just need to tell Glimmer and me how you’re feeling instead of bottling it up,” he smiled, hoping that she couldn’t see his blush.

He felt happy that Adora could tell him how she was feeling and for someone like her who grew up in a place were holding in emotions was praised, he knew it must’ve been difficult to admit how she was feeling about Catra. He looked at the picnic and he nodded to himself. Adora was feeling vulnerable and it would’ve been unfair to her to suddenly say that he liked her more than a friend and expect an answer.

“That’s… really sweet Bow. I appreciate it,” Adora said softly, her small smile warming him from his chest outward.

“I mean, you just know what you’re doing and you’re a really good leader. You should be proud of how far you’ve come. And I’m really happy to call you a friend of mine. Yes! A friend! A friend who I care about a lot!” he rambled. 

Adora stared at him in confusion, “Um…thank you?”

_ Oh no, just roll with it! Be casual! _

“No, wait I had a point!”

“And what point is that?” she asked, a small smile making its way onto her face as she watched him struggle for words.

“It’s…it’s this cake! I really love strawberry cake and I baked this! You should try some!” he yelled a little too loudly. He cut a slice and handed her the plate.

“Thanks Bow, but I feel like you want to tell me more than that.” she grinned and he looked away.

“It’s nothing, really. Let’s just enjoy this moment we have,” he said, trying to calm his racing heart.

His heart never slowed down because he felt her hand on his and he thought he was going to explode. 

“Bow... _ someone _ close to me once told me that I need to tell my friends how I’m feeling, otherwise I’ll bottle it up inside”

“I told you that,” he groaned. 

“Now you need to take your own advice!” she laughed and her sparkling eyes made him break out in a sweat.

_ I could always lie...but that would defeat the whole purpose of this lesson and friends don’t lie to each other...unless it’s life or death- but this feels like life or death! _

He took a deep breath,“Okay. I…I’ve just never done this before and I’ve been working on telling you for a long time and...Adora…I…I like you,” the archer said softly. 

Adora stared at him for a good few seconds before the information hit her like a brick. 

“You like me? As in...more than a friend?”

“Yes...that’s why I planned this. Did I want to relax after three weeks of non-stop fighting against the Horde? Yes. But I also realized how much I like you.”

Adora had gone scarlet.

Bow continued, “You gave me so much hope. My dads know I’m part of the rebellion because of you and Glimmer. And when we first met,I knew you weren’t the average Horde soldier. You honestly thought you were doing something right and…you turned your back on everything you knew and took the risk of jumping into the unknown. You just amaze me, Adora.”

He paused for a second, wondering if he should meet the princess’s eyes. 

He was dying inside. 

Then he felt her cool hands on his face and he found himself staring into crystal pools of blue. He immediately went for Plan B.

“Adora, if you don’t feel the same we can pretend this never-“

He was cut off when he felt her lips against his and he froze.

It was short, innocent, and sweet. When she shyly looked at him, pink tingeing her cheeks, he wanted to swoon.

“I…um…I like you too Bow,” she said softly. “This is new to me and...I was scared of seeing you as more than a friend after the friendships I lost in the Horde, but...I like being around you. You make me happy.”

He broke out into a wide grin and picked her up, spinning her around in the air.

“Bow, stop! The food!” she laughed and he gently set her down before looking around the picnic blanket.

“Okay so the cake’s icing has been smudged but it’s okay-!”

He felt something cool and squishy press against his cheek. He turned and saw Adora grinning, licking the icing off her fingers.

“Oh it’s on!” he smirked as he sunk his hand into the cake and smeared her face with icing and she shrieked. 

The two of them laughed, smelling of strawberries and buttercream, the glow of the sunset bathed them in a golden light. They flopped on their backs, their sides aching from laughter and smiles plastered on their faces.

“Bow?” Adora asked as she intertwined her hand with his.

“Yeah?” 

“Thank you for today. This was everything I needed and I’m really happy you told me…you liked me,” she said, a blush evident on her cheeks.

He squeezed her hand, the glow of the sun making the girl beside him look positively radiant.

“Me too, Adora. Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> This fic was written for the Adorabowl Zine! It's free and you can download it! I collaborated with an artist, @maybemochas and she drew a beautiful piece that you can view in the zine. A huge thank you to the mods for organizing this amazing zine and I hope you all enjoy this fic!
> 
> Stay safe <3  
> vanilla107  
> xoxo


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